Murim Recurve

"Two of them are newly created Sha. But the third is the Blinded Ghost."

Re'Kha sprung to her feet with a start, her expression oozing with anger and hatred. Her face flushed red as the blood moved to her head. Her heart thumped with greater intensities; she could hear her heartbeats.

'So, the nightmare wasn't without reason.' Re'Kha rubbed the ring on her left, opening the space inside as she arranged the whip and the needle at the top so that she could pull it out without trouble. It was just in case she came across her enemy and had to battle it.

"I'll get my eyes back." She picked up the key, locking the door as she stepped outside, pocketing it. After a moment of thought, she put it in her storage space, walking towards the mechanical lift as she didn't find any servant nearby.

'It's better to take the stairs now. It's faster this way.' She thought, descending through the stairway that proceeded right next to the lift. Her footsteps echoed in the empty corridors that were bereft of people, the echo of which was muffled.

Re'Kha stopped, her eyes widening as she realised something was amiss. Through her Wind Qi perception, she extended her senses, noticing that the entire stretch of floors in the inn be bereft of people.

'Strange, there were people here just now.' No sooner did that thought emerge in her head did her right hand flash blue as Re'Kha slammed her palm projection on the wall, hearing a wail echo in the distance as something covering her seemed to have vanished.

Her Wind Qi perception immediately registered the presence of numerous people, the same that she had seen before. She noticed that they were still, almost as if they were asleep. It was odd, for some were in walking, and other postures of activity.

'Is this Sha a hallucinatory based being? The guards were rushing about somewhere. So, the three Sha must be there. Then why is one here? Has one of the Sha escaped here? Or is this an entirely new one?'

Re'Kha took in a sharp breath as her mind whirred in thought. Both the conjectures were scary in their own right. It was currently raining outside, judging by how her Wind Qi perception experienced a lot of static the moment it extended beyond the range of the inn.

Previously, as the guards were moving closer to the inn's entrance, what they spoke resounded into its entrance, which was what she had captured.

If a Sha moved through the rain, the Water Qi in the rain would destroy the Ghost Qi in it, causing its form to collapse. So, it made no sense for a Sha to move through the rain and set up its lair in the inn. It would have been severely damaged.

Otherwise, it meant the Sha acting now had been present in the inn all along and only decided to spring up now. That was her second conjecture.

The guards were chasing after three Sha. Including the one that appeared in her inn, it meant four Sha were operating simultaneously, that too within the same City. Such a situation had never occurred as far as she remembered. 'What the hell is even happening?'

If she went against a Sha alone, and that too without any preparations, her life would be forfeit. She also dared not use the Magic Artifacts in her possession in public. That would also result in her a death sentence.

'I can only move about and be safe in a group.' Re'Kha thought of the three ladies she had investigated before. They were still in the room adjacent to the three girls. They were also under the effects of the Sha; but if she freed them, they would become reliable allies.

At least, that's what she hoped. Because, she couldn't sense whether someone was a Harmoniser or not. A normal person only had to look at the opponent's Tikka jewellery to know it. But as for her, all the four elements of the Kalki only looked like blank spaces in her Wind Qi perception—which was the element of a foreign race.

So, she couldn't tell if they were Harmonisers or not. She only hoped they were, judging by their trained physiques. Re'Kha sprinted through the stairs and arrived before their room, kicking with her leg once.

There was a loud thud, but the door didn't budge. Instead, Re'Kha felt pain in her abdomen. Her injuries prevented her from using all her strength. Though, even if she could use it, it wasn't enough to budge a thick metal door.

'I still have 5 Water Qi.' She calculated, taking in a deep breath as she distanced herself, calculating to ensure the distance between her and the door was only a bit less than her height.

"Hah!" Her palm projection shot forth, slamming on the door as it made a dull thud, creaking its hinges. The Water Qi in her palm projection splashed out before dripping down the door. Without any hesitation, she slammed a palm projection using her left, shattering the door's hinges.

'I'm only left with three Water Qi now.'

The door opened, slamming into the wall with a bang as she entered, spotting a lady seated in the living room, maintaining an action where she was sipping tea. Re'Kha took her teacup, placed it on the table, condensed the blue radiance on her palm, and slapped the lady on the cheek.

She didn't unleash her palm projection, for that would have killed her. She only used the layer of Water Qi on her palm to break the Sha's effect on her. As she had expected, the lady woke up, clutching her cheek as she felt confused, sporting mild fear in her eyes.

"Are you okay? What did you see?" Re'Kha maintained her distance, keeping watch on her surroundings as the lady realised the situation she was in, returning a question of her own, "Was it a Sha?"

"Yes, a hallucinatory type" Re'Kha nodded, "Everyone in the inn has fallen under its effect. Can you fight against a Sha?"

"Yes," The lady gathered her bearings and rushed towards the other two ladies, condensing black radiance on her palm as she slapped them both awake. Through her Wind Qi perception, Re'Kha noticed faint blank space begin to gush out of all the people in the inn like smoke.

'The Sha has begun to extract Fear Qi from them.'